1963/64 Regular Season; South


Granite Hockey League
Brainerd remained the class of the league, winning their 5th title in a row. Fergus Falls was on the rise this year, finishing 3 games ahead of St. Cloud for second. Alexandria will sneak into the playoffs yet again as the 4 seed. The Storm were left just outside the playoffs, but that illusive first playoff game doesn't look too far off. Sauk Rapids improved to sixth, but this was largely due to the Pilots missing 5 games this season due to a flu outbreak causing them to drop to last in the league.

Twin Cities Hockey League West
The Vulcans finished atop the west for the second year in a row, but fell to the Saints in the Championship game. The Cake Eaters looked very good this year, led by winger Ben Hankinson who led the Twin Cities Hockey League in points with 51 in 24 games. The Mighty Millers finished in third and still look very dangerous come playoffs. The Bucks surprised many in their first season, finishing in fourth and making the playoffs ahead of a good Osseo team and a healthy Bloomington squad. Tonka took a step back this year, finishing in seventh with the Bruins in last.

Twin Cities Hockey League East
The Saints have ended the drought, winning their first Twin Cities Hockey League title since 1950! The Victorias finished only one game behind the Saints though and could be considered more dangerous due to their stingy defense. The Volunteers surged to third on a late season hot streak to pass the Mavericks and Waves, West St. Paul being pushed out of the playoffs in the process. White Bear Lake, Roseville, and Falcon heights all finished with less than 7 wins on the season.

Valley Hockey League
There was no movement in the top side of the league this season with the top four all remaining in the same spot as last year. Albert Lea had a bounce back year, finishing just outside the playoffs in fifth. La Crosse also had a good year for their standards, finishing near the middle of the pack. Austin and Red Wing both took steps in the wrong direction this year with age beginning to wear on them. Winona again was the punching bag of the league, but the team seems to be making the most of it, playing more for the love of the game rather than competitiveness. Rumors of Wildcats sharing drinks with opposing teams in the locker room between period while down considerable amounts have made Winona a favorite among opposing cities, with attendance at Lake Winona are among the highest in the league due to visiting fans coming to have a good time and watch their team win.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

Looks like you got the Warroad Lakers name on the 6 seed erroneously.

Aside from that, I'll root for New Ulm and Thief River Falls... but I'm going to add in the Pointers from East Grand Forks as well. Love that logo and color scheme.

1964 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; First Round Day 1


St. Paul Saints vs Mankato Moose
The moose put up a much better fight than most expected, but the Saints were ultimately too strong of a team to overcome as St. Paul advances with a 3-2 win at The Coliseum.

Fergus Falls Cyclones vs Stillwater Volunteers
Fergus Falls made light work of a Vols team coming in on a hot streak. The 'Clones offense was deadly tonight, finding the back of the net from all over the offensive zone and scoring 6 times to give Fergus Falls the blowout victory.

Brainerd Lumberjacks vs New Ulm Bavarians
The upset kings did it again, knocking off the top seed in their section, on the road, in overtime. This is the Diamonds third big upset in the playoffs in their short 4 year history as they look to reach the Super Series for the second time.

Minneapolis Millers vs St. Cloud Bearcats
Two big teams known to throw their bodies around went right at one another in this one as the Mighty Millers were able to get the upper hand in the goal column by a score of five to three.


Thief River Falls Railers vs Fargo Titans
Down go the Champs! The Fargo Titans have stunned the MAHL, knocking off the top ranked Railers on the road in Thief River Falls, shutting them out no less. The Titans finished this season at .500 and were considered as good as dead when the rankings came out and they were faced up against their Red River League foes who they were yet to win against. Despite the odds, the Titans managed to get it done, advancing to the section final.

Grand Forks Jets vs Steinbach Barbarians
This one was all Jets from the drop of the puck with Grand Forks leading 3-0 after the first and holding on to win 6-2, cutting Steinbach's return to the postseason short.

Winnipeg Monarchs vs Two Harbors Wolfpack
The unthinkable has happened in the Capital of Manitoba, the Monarchs have fallen in the first round of the playoffs to a town of less than 5,000 in overtime at the Winnipeg Arena. Last year it was to the Black Bears, this year it was the feisty young Wolfpack team from Two Harbors that managed to shock the league by knocking out the Monarchs in the opening round. Two Harbors goalie Keith Kaden joked after the game to the hometown paper saying "They were telling us all week about how physical they are and how they go around talking about 'coming in purple and leaving them purple'. The only thing I saw turn purple was their season when they choked it away at home."

Duluth Voyageurs vs Thunder Bay Giants
This one was a Lake Superior Hockey League rivalry between the two most successful teams in the league's history and it lived up to the hype. Both teams played great defensively, but the Giants eventually broke through early in the second on a rocket from Staal. The two battled for the remainder of the game but neither side could get past the others goalkeeper. Le bleus eventually pulled their goalie with a minute and change on the clock. Duluth had a couple good looks but took too long to fire, causing them to  be blocked. One of those blocks deflected to a Giant who dumped the puck down the ice and it trickled into the empty net, solidifying the victory for Thunder Bay.

Big day for upsets, let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

Last edited by Section30 (12/14/2019 4:40 pm)

FC Macbeth wrote:

Don't think my boys could ever beat the Millers. They're a serious giant if I'm not mistaken.
On the other hand though, New Ulm can do the impossible and beat them through. Also, just what happened to the Bruins? Why did they suck badly?

The Millers are one of the premier teams in the Twin Cities Hockey League, always considered one of the best teams in the MAHL, Minneapolis has just had poor luck in the post season for most of their existence.

As for the Bruins, they have always been the "little brother" of the Millers and Vulcans and have generally gotten much lower quality players.